Depression and anxiety after surgery or hospitalization for IBD

May's issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology finds a similar risk of depression and anxiety following surgery or hospitalization for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Psychiatric comorbidity is common in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-related surgery or hospitalizations represent major events in the natural history of the disease.

Dr Ashwin Ananthakrishnan from Massachusetts, USA examined whether there is a difference in the risk of psychiatric comorbidity following surgery in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

The researchers used a multi-institution cohort of Inflammatory bowel disease patients without a diagnosis code for anxiety or depression preceding their Inflammatory bowel disease-related surgery or hospitalization.

The team of doctors noted that demographic-, disease-, and treatment-related variables were retrieved.

Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to individually identify risk factors for depression and anxiety.

The risk of depression 5 years after surgery was 16%

American Journal of Gastroenterology

The research team included a total of 707 vs and 530 ulcerative colitis patients who underwent bowel resection surgery and did not have depression before surgery.

The risk of depression 5 years after surgery was 16%, and 11% in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients, respectively.

The researchers found no difference in the risk of depression following surgery in the Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients.

The doctors reported that the female gender, comorbidity, immunosuppressant use, perianal disease, stoma surgery, and early surgery within 3 years of care predicted depression after Crohn's disease surgery.

The team noted that only the female gender and comorbidity predicted depression in ulcerative colitis patients.

Only 12% of the Crohn's disease cohort had more than 4 risk factors for depression, but among them nearly 44% subsequently received a diagnosis code for depression.

Dr Ashwin's team commented, "Inflammatory bowel disease-related surgery or hospitalization is associated with a significant risk for depression and anxiety, with a similar magnitude of risk in both diseases."